TRWG: Shed
by Jamberine
Summary: A series of one-shots prompted, quite literally, from a random word generator on the web. 1st prompt - Shed


Early spring had shrouded itself over the grand forest that had spread over a remote area of northern Scotland. Snow was slowly melting off the trees, trickling down the rolling hills to collect into crystalline brooks. A hint of green was returning to the tips of the gnarled branches hanging off deciduous trees, the snow that had settled onto the winter-blackened limbs melting slowly, heavy droplets of ice cold water plummeting to the soft ground beneath them.

The forest was silent, apart from the constant _drip-drip-drip_ of the ice melting from the trees, and the odd rustle and chirps from squirrels dancing around in the high up branches.

It was just before dawn when the she-wolf started walking back to her den. The bright full moon casted a blue-white light over the grand forest, its luminance breaching the tree branches and shining over the snow on the ground in patches.

White puffs of mist flew from her snout as the wolf exhaled through her black, wet nose. The snow crunched under her paws as she walked. Her shoulders rolled under her thick fur, her dipped hips swinging naturally with her tail following the movement behind her.

The she-wolfs form was then illuminated as she walked effortlessly into a clearing. She had no need to check for predators as she exposed herself. She was the highest animal on the food-chain. Nothing would even contemplate attacking her.

Her fur was a glistening shade of raw umber, thickened and puffy due to the winter months. It grew fuzzed and almost curly around her neck in a strange form of mane. A white bib curled from her underbelly, to high on her cheekbones, and then faded to a coppery sheen around her snout, eyes, and lower legs.

She raised her head high in the air and sniffed daintily, the musk of the forest and those inhabiting it reaching her nose.

One particular scent seared itself into her senses immediately. Her mate.

He had a musky, salty scent to him. A scent that often sent her into season, regardless of whether she was in human form or not.

Her head twisted to look behind her, her ears perking at the sound of him bounding through the snowy forest to catch up with her. He had gotten a little carried away with terrorizing those poor squirrels, first by chasing them up the trees, and then taking personal offence when they chirped at him in amusement, mocking him for not being able to reach them. He had then decided to show them that with opposable thumbs, he was also quite capable of climbing trees as well. The squirrels had shrieked, and run for dear life, bounding out of the tree in great, soaring leaps.

She had left soon after, when her mate barked at them triumphantly, and started prancing around in the treetops like the show off he really was.

She reached the other side of the clearing, and stopped to wait for him. She paced around, brushing herself against the rough bark of a large pine tree, feeling the telltale tug of her loose winter coat being snagged and pulled away as it caught against the wood of the trunk. She turned and rubbed her other side against the tree, before stepping away and shaking herself vigorously.

Her coat was becoming patched in places where her sleek summer fur was starting to show through. Late winter was an awful time, simply because there was the constant itch that came with shedding ones coat.

That and she looked like a mangy mongrel, too.

She sat close to the pine, where the snow hadn't managed to reach through the thick canopy, and only left the cold dirt surrounding the base. Lifting a hind paw, the she-wolf tilted her head around and scratched behind her ear vigorously. Her whiskey coloured eyes closed for a second as relief from the itch trickled through her.

Her ears twisted to the back of her head as she heard her mate breach the clearing. Her eyes opened and her head swivelled to watch him.

He was a fine mate, she often mused as she watched him stalk across the open area towards her, his shoulders rolling effortlessly like the predator he was, his jaw stained with blood from the wild pig they had caught and killed earlier.

The moonlight shone down on him, making the gunmetal grey of his fur glisten and shine. Unlike her, he was a single flat colour, apart from his snout and eyes, where it changed from the grey, to a wenge brown. His coat was far worse than hers. His winter coat being much thicker and finer, had resulted in it becoming matted, and was hanging down his sides in crude dreadlocks.

The she-wolfs tail thumped against the ground as it wagged at the sight of him. She yipped at him in greeting as he prowled up to her.

His returning rumble was soft and tender, belying the beast he could really become when confronted.

She stood when he was fairly close, trotting up to him and greeting her mate with a tender nibble to his chin. Her tail wagged lazily as she nuzzled his jaw, walking around his front and rubbing herself against his chest to instil her scent in his fur.

Her mate returned her affections distractedly, his ears tweaking every which way to listen to the sounds of the forest. He was a much more nervous animal than she when out in the open, often watching and listening with tense anticipation of a threat that might suddenly come to them.

Because of this, he quickly stood back and nudged her flank with his head to get her moving once more. When she didn't start walking instantly, he gave her a few nips to her heels. The she-wolf yipped, disgruntled, and started trotting forwards, her ears tipped back in annoyance.

He was happier once they were moving back towards the den, and started to relax a little, even giving her tail a few playful nips when she brushed it against his snout teasingly.

When the den came into sight, he stopped her by trotting forwards and blocking her with his large shoulder. The she-wolf stumbled to a stop, her snout connecting to his ribs with a painful thump. She nipped his side with a soft growl in reprimand. There was no need for him to be so abrupt.

He growled at her in return, his ears tipping back in annoyance, before turning around and slowly making his way towards the den, sniffing the air to make sure it was clear, listening for any sounds that would indicate anything out of place.

When he deemed it was safe, he turned to the she-wolf and barked for her to come to him. A soft puff of warm mist came from her nose as she huffed heavily, annoyed that he didn't trust her not to take care of herself, and yet still flattered, after all these years, that he would still protect her so strictly.

She trotted her way up to the den, slowing to a walk as she got closer to him, and let a small keening nose emanate from her in a sign of affection. She brushed herself up his side as she walked past, nuzzling his chin lovingly, before walking in the den to await the sunrise.


End file.
